Six Nations 2015: Ireland team preview

The next in our series of 2015 Six Nations team previews is last year’s champions Ireland. Can they do it again this year? Read on.

Strengths

If you hear an Irishman mention the fact that they have the best coach in the Northern Hemisphere, it’s probably best to pay attention to him. Joe Schmidt’s attention to detail and controlling nature on the training field have transformed Ireland from bit-part players to Six Nations champions in his first season as coach. Hours after defeating Australia 26-23 and completing an autumn clean sweep, he had appendix surgery and was apparently in agony for the entire game.

Paul O’Connell continues to play in ways that other 35-year-olds can only dream of, and there is some serious talent coming through across the board in the form of youngsters Robbie Henshaw, Iain Henderson, James Cronin and Kieran Marmion. Johnny Sexton is still one of the best 10s in the world and he has the ability outside of him to light up even the dingiest of Dublin evenings.

All-in-all and when fully fit, Ireland have a starting 15 and a coach that can go toe-to-toe with the world’s best and last the duration. But when was the last time that Ireland had a fully fit starting 15? Which leads us onto…

Weaknesses

If England supporters think that they have a long injury list then they need to cast an eye over the cold, misty Irish Sea. Lions Sean O’Brien and Cian Healy have been injured since September, while Conor Murray has also been out recently and Johnny Sexton has had a glass head ever since he moved to France, and will miss the Italy game.

Second-choice nine Eion Reddan has a knee injury, Paddy Jackson has a dislocated elbow, Craig Gilroy has concussion, Fergus McFadden a rib injury, Jamie Heaslip has shoulder issues as does Robin Copeland, and Dave Foley and Rhys Ruddock will miss at least the first two games. Got all that? Good.

No doubt commentators and broadcasters will flood our senses with Brian O’Driscoll montages and references but it would be amiss of me not to mention the great one. Ireland will miss him, there’s no doubt about that, but Darren Cave is coming into the Championship on the back of some serious form, Jared Payne has proved that he is good enough at international level, and the aforementioned Henshaw has the ability to become world class.

Key objective before World Cup: Tie down a starting 15 and wrap them in cotton wool.

Player to watch: Paul O’Connell

Ireland could injure 99% of their population, but alarm bells would only start to ring if their talismanic captain were to keel over. A gargantuan in the set piece, a thief in the tight, and a bulldozer in the loose, O’Connell leads his team in ways that only Sergio Parisse or Richie McCaw can emulate.

The games in the autumn showed just how valuable the lock is, making a huge number of tackles and winning pretty much anything that was thrown anywhere near him in the line-out. He studies his opposite man’s every movement so intensely pre-game that every youngster should aspire to be like him, and Joe Schmidt must feel incredibly lucky to have inherited such a good captain.

Last season: 1st

After smashing a dismal Scotland in the first round, Ireland welcomed Wales to the Aviva Stadium and doused the fiery spirits of any Welshmen who though they would win yet another title, emphatically beating them and conceding just three points.

England away was a different story though, losing by three in an intense game that threw the Championship wide open. Next came Italy who were blown out of the water and then a narrow, fraught win in Paris wrapped the Championship up in a green bow.

Prediction

Many people have Ireland down as favourites to win and if they can sneak past the first couple of games and get their injured Lions back, there will be a strong chance that those across the Irish Sea will be celebrating for the second year in a row.

Thank the Celtic Gods then that Italy is first up, before a home game against a France side who do not like to travel. England at home will be the hardest game of the series, while Wales and Scotland away will test some seriously battered bodies.

Ireland’s backline have the ability to spring into life and with Johnny Sexton at the helm (hopefully) after the first game, it will probably do just that. The front five can pretty much hold their own on any given day and their fully-fit backrow is probably the best in the Championship. I’m going to take a stab at first place – no Grand Slam – but ask me again two games in and I might have changed my mind entirely. Predicted finish: 1st.

By Calum Gillon (@C_Gillon)

Photo by: Patrick Khachfe / Onside Images